


A Deeply Buried Mystery

by TheRechercheRambler



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Gen, This is the aftermath, character death not directly depicted in-story, couldn't decide which Byleth to use so I said heck it and just used they/them, do not read unless you've gotten through chapter 10's opening bits, major spoilers for chapter 9, some spoilers for Byleth's backstory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-04
Updated: 2019-08-04
Packaged: 2020-07-30 22:01:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20104285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRechercheRambler/pseuds/TheRechercheRambler
Summary: While clearing things up in the wake of a terrible loss that shakes all of Garreg Mach, Seteth makes an unsettling discovery.





	A Deeply Buried Mystery

**Author's Note:**

> I came up with this fic after seeing discussion on the FE16 discord about the ramifications of Seteth reading Jeralt's diary almost immediately after his death, since that seemed to imply that he'd deliberately gone rifling through Jeralt's personal belongings right after the man died. At the time I hadn't really considered the implications of Seteth's early chapter 10 conversation with Rhea, and seeing the discussion made me wonder why Seteth actually did it, and this fic began writing itself in my head and I had to immediately open up a word processor to get it out.

Seteth doesn't go into the now-late captain's quarters intending to do anything more than collect poor Jeralt's paperwork and the materials provided to him by the Church back when the Blade Breaker returned to the Knights' ranks. Seteth's no stranger to death and loss, as he's seen far too many Knights come and go as they strive to keep the peace of Fodlan- the captains' quarters were empty when Jeralt arrived for a reason- but there's something about this particular passing that affects him more deeply than he expected, that follows him as he enters the once-more empty captain's quarters.

This can be traced back to a number of things, Seteth knows- the fact that it took place on Garreg Mach grounds, the sheer pointlessness and cruelty of how Jeralt was stabbed in the back, the smothering blanket of grief that has settled over everyone in the Monastery since- but the thing that sticks most in his mind is the newest professor, Byleth. Their face was a wreck of tears when they reached the Monastery with Jeralt's still-warm body on their back. Seteth thinks that image of Byleth may never now leave his mind.

Before Jeralt's death, Byleth's face may as well have been a mask for all the emotion it showed. A faint trace of confusion occasionally flitted across their face, and Seteth once saw a hint of a smile when they glanced at Flayn- a mark in their favor, in his book- but otherwise they were nearly impossible to read. Seeing them suddenly show so much raw emotion is most unsettling.

Byleth's grief-stricken face remains at the forefront of his thought and leaves him distracted as he moves to pick up a stack of paperwork from where it had been left in the corner of the room. He may not have noticed that he bumped into the bookshelf against the wall had something not tumbled onto the floor. Seteth sets the papers on Jeralt's desk, and turns to see what fell.

It's a book, but not one like the finely-made volumes that generally adorn shelves at Garreg Mach. It has soft, leather covers and as it lies open on the floor Seteth can see that the contents of its crinkled pages were written by hand.

In _Jeralt's_ hand, no less.

A brief burst of anxiety and sadness makes itself known in Seteth's mind. Such a book would stick out like a sore thumb if it was simply placed on the shelves among the fancier texts on tactics and teaching, and Seteth would have noticed it when he'd spoken to Jeralt in the past. It must have been hidden, if not kept on Jeralt's person. Whatever this is, it is clearly intensely personal, and Seteth has no business looking into it.

He reaches down to retrieve- and close- the book, but when he gets close enough that his eyes can read the writing whether he intends to or not Seteth froze, eyes widening.

_..._ _baby's pulse is fine, but there's no heartbeat. No heartbeat!_

What on _Earth_?

An ugly mixture of guilt, curiosity, and dread builds up within him as he picks up the book- the diary- and does not close it, wondering what the explanation could be for that peculiar passage.

It turns out that Jeralt's words don't have an explanation, and the strangeness only grows from there. How Jeralt's newborn child never cried, and how- oh Goddess, dread is definitely winning out over everything else right now- how Rhea was alone with Jeralt's soon-to-be-dead wife when the infant was born. Seteth has heard rumors and gossip about Jeralt's strange disappearance some twenty years ago, how Jeralt went missing the same day his child perished in a fire, but there is no doubt in his mind as he reads that the child who never cried grew up to be the anguished professor who was told nothing of Jeralt's past nor their own and now weeps and weeps alone.

Seteth thinks of Flayn, and feels that he understands Jeralt now more clearly than he ever thought possible, understands the fear and fierce, protective love that can drive a person to such lengths. After all, he, too, has fled with his dear, only child into hiding for their protection.

But to think that _Rhea_ of all people was the source of Jeralt's deep fear.

For many years Seteth has placed great trust in Rhea, thinking of her as family to him and Flayn. But now, Seteth can feel that trust begin to waver and crumble.

He thinks back to the day Jeralt and Byleth first arrived at Garreg Mach. How Rhea was oh so quick to trust a man who'd vanished without a word and the child they knew absolutely nothing about (and, as Seteth had learned to his consternation, hardly knew a thing about themselves). The speed at which Rhea had restored Jeralt's position as captain to him and gave Byleth a professorship.

Come to think of it, Jeralt had seemed somewhat reluctant to return to his old duties… and Byleth, while as inscrutable as ever, hadn't been given much of an opportunity to decline…

The cold fear of a dreadful realization jolts through Seteth, swiftly replaced by the first flames of anger on the dead man's behalf.

Jeralt's suspicions were clearly _not_ unfounded. For all of Jeralt's secrecy and precautions, Rhea _knew_.

Seteth's jaw clenches. He snaps the diary shut, pulls out a few books from the shelves, and conceals the diary flat against the back of the shelf behind them. Silently he sends up a quick prayer to the Goddess, that she might ask Jeralt's soul for his forgiveness for this intrusion. Seteth gathers up what he came to retrieve and simply drops them off in his own office before heading out to confront Rhea. His mind will never know ease until he has heard a full explanation out of his friend's own mouth.

It had better be good.

**Author's Note:**

> I also am in the middle of the Black Eagles route right now so I'm going to have to wait a while before I can see if there's a follow-up conversation on this subject between Seteth and Rhea, I haven't gotten back to them yet, and I hardly know a thing about Seteth's backstory, so when I get farther in the game I may update this to reflect what else I may yet learn about them.


End file.
